Trichodysplasia spinulosa: a polyomavirus infection specifically targeting follicular keratinocytes in immunocompromised patients.

Trichodysplasia spinulosa (TS) is a rare skin disease, caused by a specific polyomavirus, occurring in immunocompromised patients. The pathophysiological mechanisms of TS are not yet fully understood. By using polymerase chain reaction and skin biopsy immunostaining we report evidence, in a paediatric case, of follicular keratinocytes being the primary target of trichodysplasia spinulosa-associated polyomavirus.

Evaluation of a risk-screening questionnaire to detect equine lung inflammation: results of a large field study.

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: The diagnosis of equine recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) and inflammatory airway disease (IAD) is based on clinical signs and increased inflammatory cell percentages in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid. Since a BAL is an invasive procedure, a risk-screening questionnaire (RSQ) would be a valuable screening tool for lung inflammation. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the accuracy of a RSQ to detect lower airway inflammation (LAI) in a large population of horses. METHODS: A standardised BAL was performed in the field on 167 horses in Alberta, Canada. Horses were separated into 3 categories: 1) BAL normal; 2) BAL mild to moderate LAI (MLAI), and 3) BAL severe LAI (SLAI). The horse owners were asked to complete a RSQ. The RSQ scores were compared to the BAL results to determine the likelihood of a horse having MLAI, SLAI or no LAI. RESULTS: Based on BAL cytology, 28 (17%) horses were normal and 139 (83%) were abnormal, with 110 (66%) showing MLAI and 29 (17%) SLAI. Horses with SLAI and MLAI had a mean RSQ score of 0.95 and 0.70, respectively, compared to 0.60 for normal BAL horses. Horses with SLAI showed more clinical signs than normal and MLAI horses. The sensitivity and negative predictive values of the RSQ for detecting SLAI using a cut-off score of 0.87, were excellent at 0.90 (95%CI 0.73-0.98) and 0.96 (95%CI 0.82-1.00). Questions on the clinical signs typically found in RAO cases differed significantly between horses with BAL SLAI and those with BAL normal. CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence of MLAI was high in this population. Although the RSQ did not allow differentiating normal horses from horses with MLAI, it has a high sensitivity to detect horses with SLAI and is therefore a good screening tool for SLAI.

Field test of a novel detection device for Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigen in cough.

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis is a highly infectious disease that is spread from person to person by infected aerosols emitted by patients with respiratory forms of the disease. We describe a novel device that utilizes immunosensor and bio-optical technology to detect M. tuberculosis antigen (Ag85B) in cough and demonstrate its use under field conditions during a pilot study in an area of high TB incidence. METHODS: The TB Breathalyzer device (Rapid Biosensor Systems Ltd) was field tested in the outpatient clinic of Adama Hospital, Ethiopia. Adults seeking diagnosis for respiratory complaints were tested. Following nebulization with 0.9% saline patients were asked to cough into a disposable collection device where cough aerosols were deposited. Devices were then inserted into a portable instrument to assess whether antigen was present in the sample. Demographic and clinical data were recorded and all patients were subjected to chest radiogram and examination of sputum by Ziehl-Nielsen microscopy. In the absence of culture treatment decisions were based on smear microscopy, chest x-ray and clinical assessment. Breathalyzer testing was undertaken by a separate physician to triage and diagnostic assessment. RESULTS: Sixty individuals were each subjected to a breathalyzer test. The procedure was well tolerated and for each patient the testing was completed in less than 10 min. Positive breath test results were recorded for 29 (48%) patients. Of 31 patients with a diagnosis of tuberculosis 23 (74%; 95% CI 55-87) were found positive for antigen in their breath and 20 (64%; 95% CI 45-80) were smear positive for acid fast bacilli in their sputum. Six patients provided apparent false positive breathalyzer results that did not correlate with a diagnosis of tuberculosis. CONCLUSIONS: We propose that the breathalyzer device described warrants further investigation as a tool for studying exhalation of M. tuberculosis. The portability, simplicity of use and speed of the test device suggest it may also find use as a tool to aid early identification of infectious cases. We recommend studies be undertaken to determine the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the device when compared to microbiological and clinical indicators of tuberculosis disease.

Effect of different potting systems; inoculation time; nematode density and sources of cereal cyst nematode (Heterodera filipjevi) on juvenile penetration into wheat root system.

Investigations were designed to optimize testing systems for screening wheat breeding lines for resistance to Heterodera filipjevi. The effects of: 1) plant potting systems 2) inoculum level and time of inoculation 3) and type of inoculum of H. filipjevi on detection accuracy were examined in growth chamber experiments in Turkey. The rate of nematode penetration in the highly susceptible variety Bezostaya was used as the base measurement of efficacy. The results showed that the highest level of penetration coupled with high level of germination was obtained in plastic tubes (13 cm long x 3 cm in diam.) when compared to both small flower pots (400 cm3) and smaller plastic tubes (10.2 cm long x 0.8 cm in diam.). The highest rate of nematode penetration into wheat root system was obtained by inoculating the seedlings with 1000 J2 per plant. However, inoculation with 200 J2 at sowing or 200 J2 at sowing plus an additional 200 J2 after germination improved percent penetration when compared to inoculation with 600 or 1000 J2/plant at sowing. The test on the optimum form of inoculum showed that inoculating the seedling with J2's gave the highest rate of nematode penetration over inoculum with eggs or cysts. The results of these experiments demonstrated that screening wheat for resistance can be optimized by raising the seedlings in plastic tubes and inoculating them with 400 J2.

Retinal tapetum lucidum: a novel reflecting system in the eye of teleosts.

A new type of tapetum lucidum has been found in eyes of bony fishes (teleosts). It is retinal, lying in the processes of the pigment epithelial cells; it has a white appearance and reflects light diffusely. The cell processes are loaded with highly refractile lipid particles; as examined by electron microscopy these are about 400 nanometers in diameter, spherical, and homogeneous. This tapetum lucidum has been found in seven families of teleost fishes occurring in inshore waters and rivers of South Texas, all of which have high turbidity; the correlation indicates a role in dim-light vision.

Cooperative organization of inorganic-surfactant and biomimetic assemblies.

A model that makes use of the cooperative organization of inorganic and organic molecular species into three dimensionally structured arrays is generalized for the synthesis of nanocomposite materials. In this model, the properties and structure of a system are determined by dynamic interplay among ion-pair inorganic and organic species, so that different phases can be readily obtained through small variations of controllable synthesis parameters, including mixture composition and temperature. Nucleation, growth, and phase transitions may be directed by the charge density, coordination, and steric requirements of the inorganic and organic species at the interface and not necessarily by a preformed structure. A specific example is presented in which organic molecules in the presence of multiply charged silicate oligomers self-assemble into silicatropic liquid crystals. The organization of these silicate-surfactant mesophases is investigated with and without interfacial silicate condensation to separate the effects of self-assembly from the kinetics of silicate polymerization.

The global importance of the cereal cyst nematode (Heterodera spp.) on wheat and international approaches to its control.

The Cereal Cyst Nematodes (CCNs) are a group of several closely related species which have been documented to cause economic yield loss on rainfed wheat production systems in several part of the world including North Africa, West Asia, China, India, Australia, America and several countries in Europe. The most commonly reported species is Heterodera avenae, however there are at least two other species H. filipjevi and H. latipons are implicated. It is well appreciated that plants under water and nutrient stress suffer greater yield loss. Control of CCNs requires maintaining nematode populations below economic thresholds. Chemicals are not environmentally sustainable or economic and the major emphasis on control has been with host genetic resistance applied with other integrated pest managent options. Unfortunately due to the number of species and pathotype variation genetic control of Cereal Cyst Nematode with plant resistance is complex. Turkey is one of the top ten wheat producers in the world and has identified these nematode as a major biotic constraint in their rainfed wheat systems. In 2001 a new joint intiative was established between CIMMYT International, the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and (Ukurova University in Adana to understand i) the distribution of cereal nematodes on wheat; ii) assess the economic importance and improve our understanding of the population dynamics iii) culture, screen and assess known sources of resistance and identify new sources to both groups of nematodes; iv) integrate new sources of resistance into bread wheat cultivars for Turkey and International germplasm using conventional and molecular tools; v) investigate other integrated control options such as rotation and different wheat management strategies and finally vi) capacity build scientists to work in this important area. Some highlights of this work will be presented and the newly formed ICCNI - International Cereal Cyst Nematode Initative introduced.

Effect of Dexamethasone and Fluticasone on Airway Hyperresponsiveness in Horses With Inflammatory Airway Disease.

BACKGROUND: Airway hyperresponsiveness (AWHR), expressed as hypersensitivity (PC75 RL ) or hyperreactivity (slope of the histamine dose-response curve), is a feature of inflammatory airway disease (IAD) or mild equine asthma in horses. Glucocorticoids are used empirically to treat IAD. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether dexamethasone (DEX) (0.05 mg/kg IM q24h) and inhaled fluticasone (FLUT) (3,000 µg q12h) administered by inhalation are effective in decreasing AWHR, lung inflammation, and clinical signs in horses with IAD. METHODS: A randomized crossover study design was used. Eight horses with IAD were assigned to a treatment group with either DEX or FLUT. Measured outcomes included lung mechanics during bronchoprovocative challenges, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) cytology, and scoring of clinical signs during exercise. RESULTS: Dexamethasone and FLUT abolished the increase in RL by 75% at any histamine bronchoprovocative dose in all horses after the first week of treatment. However, after 2 weeks of FLUT treatment, 1 horse redeveloped hypersensitivity. There was a significant decrease in the number of lymphocytes after treatment with both DEX and FLUT (P = .039 for both) but no significant differences in other BALF cell types or total cell counts (P > .05). There was no difference in the scoring of the clinical signs during each treatment and washout period (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Both DEX and FLUT treatments significantly inhibit airway hypersensitivity and hyperreactivity in horses with IAD. There are no significant effects on the clinical signs or the number of inflammatory cells (except lymphocytes) in BALF. The treatments have no residual effect 3 weeks after discontinuation.

Duplex Scorpion primers in SNP analysis and FRET applications.

Scorpions are fluorogenic PCR primers with a probe element attached at the 5'-end via a PCR stopper. They are used in real-time amplicon-specific detection of PCR products in homogeneous solution. Two different formats are possible, the 'stem-loop' format and the 'duplex' format. In both cases the probing mechanism is intramolecular. We have shown that duplex Scorpions are efficient probes in real-time PCR. They give a greater fluorescent signal than stem-loop Scorpions due to the vastly increased separation between fluorophore and quencher in the active form. We have demonstrated their use in allelic discrimination at the W1282X locus of the ABCC7 gene and shown that they can be used in assays where fluorescence resonance energy transfer is required.

Separating hierarchical relations and word order in language production: is proximity concord syntactic or linear?

In this paper we address the question whether hierarchical relations and word order can be separated in sentence production. In two experiments, we assess whether subject-verb agreement errors (such as 'The time for fun and games are over') require linear proximity of a so-called 'local' noun ('games' in the example) to the verb. In the first experiment, we found a proximity effect when participants were asked to complete sentential beginnings of the kind: 'The helicopter for the flights'. In the second experiment, we asked participants to produce a question such as 'Is the helicopter for the flights safe?'. The syntactic relation between the subject noun and the local noun is the same in the two experiments, but the linear position of the local noun is different. The distribution of agreement errors was similar in the two experiments. We argue that these data provide evidence for a stage in language production in which a syntactic structure is built prior to a stage in which words are assigned to their linear position. Agreement is computed during the first stage.

A research registry: uses, development, and accuracy.

Many studies of population health, clinical epidemiology, and health services can be supported by a population-based research registry. Such a registry accurately defines the health insurance status for each individual over many years, magnifying the effectiveness of a cross-sectional registry (typically relevant for only a short duration) used in the administration of a health insurance plan. A research registry can distinguish between "well" individuals (no contact with the health care system), loss to follow-up (ineligibility associated with leaving the insurance plan), loss of continuity (two or more unlinked registrations over time for the same person), and mortality. The Manitoba research registry was developed to facilitate longitudinal studies; working within strict confidentiality controls, identifiers for each individual known to Manitoba Health since 1970 can be retrieved and a single unique identifier assigned. Careful reporting of changes in family registration numbers has enabled tracing area of residence, marital status, and family characteristics; results are equivalent to a daily census of the province. This article provides details on source materials, design, and quality of the registry, highlighting its value both for the development of integrated population health information systems and for research in general.

Evaluation of discordant laboratory data in patients with thyroid disorders.

The usefulness of the various tests of thyroid function has been evaluated over a three-year period. It is concluded that an uptake test and estimation of the serum protein-bound radioactive iodine (PB (131)I), supplemented as required by the protein-bound iodine (PBI), remain the best routine tests of thyroid function. Forty-five patients who gave discordant results on these tests over this period have been studied in detail and the value of other tests of thyroid function has been explored.

Using cross-modal lexical decision tasks to investigate sentence processing.

Recent investigations of sentence processing have used the cross-modal lexical decision task to show that the antecedent of a phonologically empty noun phrase (specifically, WH-trace) is reactivated at the trace position. G. McKoon, R. Ratcliff, and G. Ward (1994) claimed that (a) a design feature concerning the choice of related and unrelated targets is a possible confound in this work and (b) the conclusions drawn from this previous research are therefore called into question. These claims are considered in light of both McKoon et al.'s experimental findings and results of our own experiments in which we test their linguistic materials. We argue that their results may be due to the nature of their materials. Additionally, we argue that a follow-up experiment reported by G. McKoon and R. Ratcliff (1994) used a technique that is not comparable to the cross-modal lexical decision task. It is concluded that current evidence supports the claim that structural information is using during on-line sentence processing and that the cross-modal technique is sensitive to this.

Strategies for developing a cost-effective pulmonary rehabilitation program.

A cost-effective pulmonary rehabilitation program can be created by using strategic planning, a thorough budgetary process, and then promotion of the program. Strategic planning assesses the need for such a program, develops its overall direction, establishes priorities, assesses economic factors and the presence or absence of similar services already in existence, and identifies the proposed scope of the program. The budgetary process identifies the specific services to be offered and estimates the volume of services, their costs, and revenues. Promotion of the program serves to acquaint potential referring physicians and patients with the services to be offered. If preliminary investigation indicates that a pulmonary rehabilitation program is needed in the community, then strategic planning, careful budgeting, and creative promotion can help assure that the program is financially viable.

The prevalence of nausea and vomiting in pediatric patients receiving home parenteral nutrition.

We have observed that many home parenteral nutrition (HPN) recipients experience nausea, vomiting, or both during cyclic parenteral nutrition infusions. The current investigation was performed to determine the prevalence and course of these symptoms and effectiveness of therapeutic maneuvers. Eighty-nine recipients of HPN were contacted and 53 families (60%) responded. Thirty-five patients (66%) reported complaints of nausea, vomiting, or both associated with their HPN infusion. Patients with cancer (82%) or cystic fibrosis (83%) reported symptoms at similar rates, while patients with gastrointestinal disease (46%) reported symptoms less often (p < .05, chi-square). Within each diagnostic group, prevalence of symptoms did not vary with age. The majority of patients were symptomatic in the morning when being weaned or soon after completing the HPN infusion. Response rates to a variety of therapies were also similar. In conclusion, nausea and vomiting associated with cyclicHPN infusions appear to be common. The precipitating events and efficacy of interventions await identification and prospective evaluation.

Prolonged parenteral nutrition for cystic fibrosis patients.

To evaluate the clinical impact of prolonged parenteral nutritional (PN) therapy on patients with advanced cystic fibrosis, we conducted a retrospective chart review of 25 cystic fibrosis patients who underwent prolonged PN (median course 295 days) at our institution between August 1988 and May 1992. The patients' survival status, change in percentage of ideal body weight, need for ongoing nutritional intervention, pulmonary function test changes, i.v. antibiotic use, and complication rates were assessed. Patients gained significant weight while receiving PN, but they lost weight when PN was discontinued. PN did not clearly improve pulmonary status. IV antibiotic therapy nearly doubled during PN. Central venous catheter sepsis rates rose from 1.29 to 3.45 per 1000 catheter days during PN therapy. In conclusion, prolonged PN promotes weight gain in cystic fibrosis patients with severe disease; however, the effect is transient and involves a significantly increased risk of sepsis.

Serum electrolyte concentrations and hydration status are not associated with exercise associated muscle cramping (EAMC) in distance runners.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether acute exercise associated muscle cramping (EAMC) in distance runners is related to changes in serum electrolyte concentrations and hydration status. METHODS: A cohort of 72 runners participating in an ultra-distance road race was followed up for the development of EAMC. All subjects were weighed before and immediately after the race. Blood samples were taken before the race, immediately after the race, and 60 minutes after the race. Blood samples were analysed for glucose, protein, sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium concentrations, as well as serum osmolality, haemoglobin, and packed cell volume. Runners who suffered from acute EAMC during the race formed the cramp group (cramp, n = 21), while runners with no history of EAMC during the race formed the control group (control, n = 22). RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the two groups for pre-race or post-race body weight, per cent change in body weight, blood volume, plasma volume, or red cell volume. The immediate post-race serum sodium concentration was significantly lower (p = 0.004) in the cramp group (mean (SD), 139.8 (3.1) mmol/l) than in the control group (142.3 (2.1) mmol/l). The immediate post-race serum magnesium concentration was significantly higher (p = 0.03) in the cramp group (0.73 (0.06) mmol/l) than in the control group (0.67 (0.08) mmol/l). CONCLUSIONS: There are no clinically significant alterations in serum electrolyte concentrations and there is no alteration in hydration status in runners with EAMC participating in an ultra-distance race.